Flint, Mich. runner Lottie Ferguson is a writer and publisher of FlintFamilyFun.com. She is an avid Disney race participant. She talks with Heather about the Flint running community and this year’s 40th anniversary of the Crim Festival of Races.

Lottie, who has a full race calendar this summer and into the fall, shares her favorite Michigan races, including this summer’s 40th anniversary of Flint’s Crim Festival of Races, August 25-27. As Heather and Lottie recorded this episode, President Obama was arriving in Flint to talk with residents about the city’s water crisis. Lottie, who works at the Ennis Center for Children, was looking forward to attending the president’s talk later that afternoon and shares with Heather how the water crisis has affected her beloved community and how health and fitness is more important that ever for Flint’s children and families.

Also on today’s show: a race recap of last weekend’s Fifth Third River Bank Run in Grand Rapids. Jonny Tornga, a producer of the Michigan Runner Girl Podcast, ran his first road race — the 25K! — at River Bank and talks with Heather about his racing experience (which included hail near the finish!). Kelly Yauk, a Michigan Runner Girl in Traverse City who has run the River Bank Run in the past, also joins the conversation.

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*If you enjoy what you’re hearing on the Michigan Runner Girl show, I’d be so grateful if you’d take a few moments to write a review on iTunes. This will help more runners and Michigan lovers like yourself find the podcasts. Thank you!! Also, the quickest way to get the podcasts is to subscribe to the show via iTunes. Clicking this link will automatically download the shows to your iTunes account.

“The Michigan Runner Girl tank is amazing! It was super comfortable and I love the open back pocket for my fuel. I proudly wore it for a PR in the half marathon!”— Jennifer Smigielski, Michigan Runner Girl who rocked out the Detroit Women’s Half Marathon this September.